Body molding garment



Feb. 27, JASPER 2,370,170

BODY MOLDI NG GARMENT Filed Feb. l, 1941 INVENTOTR H ALLIE LEE UAEPER- ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 27, 1945 UNITED. STATES rATENT OFFICE BODY MOLDING GARMENT Hallie Lee Jasper, Bridgeport, Conn. Application February 1, 1941, Serial No. 3576,982l

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement in body molding garments, and has for an object to provide a garment, particularly of the girdle type, which will effectually mold and conne the contours of the body in a hygienic manner and without discomfort. The female human body usually protrudes at the high point of the abdomen at the front and at the high point of the buttocks at the rear, and these high points are at substantially oliset vertically spaced levels, so that a line or plane connecting them is at a substantial upward inclination from the rear to the front, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a garment in which the forces and strains are directly co-related to this biased or inclined line or plane.

In girdles heretofore in use the elastic material has been so arranged that the body was simply encircled and confined by closing and contracting the girdle in a substantially horizontal direction, the elastic material being so arranged that its pull on the parts under pressure was not directly co-related in its direction between the high points of the front and rear of the body. As a result the molded and reduced areas were directed through the strains of the flattening and reducing process in unnatural directions, producing objectionable bulges and uncomfortable and injurious pressures on the body. Furthermore, the strains of conning the high points of the body at the front and rear were directed along different and divergent lines, working at cross purposes to each other and upon parts of the body which should be substantially free of pulling strains to allow for the displaceable expansion in such parts of the body produced through the reducing pressures applied to the high points of the abdomen and buttocks. These previous garments have been such, for instance, that the pull from the reduced abdominal region has been directly applied to the waist region at the back, while the pull from the4 reduced buttocks region has been directly applied to the lgroin and thigh regions at the front, thus so restraining these regions thatdisplaceable eXpansion in them was prevented and the garment was rendered uncomfortable and injurious, particularly when assuming bending or sitting postures.

It is proposed in carrying out the objects of the present invention to provide a girdle having a bias stretch and pull at each side between the front and back, operating parallel and in direct line with the inclined line or plane between the high pointsof the abdomen and the buttocks, so

that in the respective compressing and reduction of each of these regions they will each exert a direct and balanced pulling force on the other, thus relieving the upwardly and downwardly adjacent areas of the body, i. e., the waist, thigh and groin areas, from excessive pulling strains and allowing the free movement and flow of the displaceable expansion in these areas resulting from the reducing pressures applied to the abdomen and buttocks.

It is proposed to provide elastic bands at each side having relatively high elastic strength and being relatively wide to extend substantially above and below the high points of the abdomen and buttocks, and arranged parallel to the inclined line or plane between these high points. It is further proposed to provide elastic band portions above and below the elastic bias band portions of relatively less elastic strength, so that the areas of the body engaged thereby will allow for free displaceable -expansion lof the body as the high points are compressed, while at the same time molding and confining these areasl in a gradual and gentle manner, so that there will be no excessive bulging or discomfort.' At the same time the inclined arrangement of these relatively more yielding band portions in parallel relation above and below the pressure applying bias band portions permits the wearer to assume dilerent postures, as bending or sitting, with eX- treme ease and without causing the garment to ride on the figure.

With the above and other objects in View an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a girdle type of garment, according to the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear View thereof, partially in section.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side view showing the garment as worn, and showing diagrammatically in dotted lines the outline of the body before having the garment placed thereon.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the invention according to the exemplary embodiment illustrated said line.

therein, comprises a front panel I0, of non-elastic material and of suitable shape, preferably wide at its center portion, convergingly curved inwardly toward its lower end, and diver-gingly curved outwardly toward its upper end, and a back panel II, also formed of non-elastic material, having its side edges cut along slightly convexly curved lines, and provided at its upper edge with a V- shape gusset opening I2.

Each of the side portions I3-I3 consists of a. piece of woven elastic material having longitudinal stretch, and being preferably nonstretchable transversely, this material having a wide band I?.a intermediate its longitudinal edges having relatively closer weave and substantially greater elastic strength than the band portions I3b and I3c above and below it. While the bands I3, I3b and I3c are preferably integrally woven it will be understood that they may be separately formed and stitched together by elastic or stretchable stitching, and also that the bands I3b and I3c may have two-way stretch, while the band I3a has one-way stretch.

The material of the two side pieces is cut along the front and back edges which Aare butted and secured along the vertical center lines of the front and back panels I and II, the cutting lines being bias to the length of the bands I 3, so that in the position yof the garment on the wearer the bands I3a are inclined downwardly from front to rear in parallel relation to the inclined line or plane, indicated by the dot-and-dash line A-B in Fig. 4, between ythe high points of the abdomen and buttocks, and the upper and lowel` edges `of the bands -I 3t are substantially equally spaced 'above and below The upper edges of the waist engaging band portions 13b and the lower edges of the thigh and groin engaging band portions I 3c are suitably shaped to `fit the `figure, these edges usually curving downwardly from front to rear.

The meeting edges of the lelastic side portions at the front are secured in butted relation by a stitched tape I 4 at the inner side, 'the front panel I9 being secured at its edges @by stitching I over the outer surface of the side portions I3 ateach side of the tape. The meeting edges of the elastic side portions at Vthe rear are similarly secured by a stitched tape I6, and the rear panel II lis secured at its edges by stitching I1 at each side of the tape I6, portions Aof the band portions I3b being secured in the .gusset opening I2 by the stitching I1 extending along the edges vof this opening to thus provide an elastic web therein.

At one side extending downwardly `from the upper edge in right angular relation .to the longitudinal edges of the band portion I3a there is provided an opening I8, secured .by aslide fastener I9, this opening being cui; `insa `slight V-form, so that upon being secured in parallel relation by the slidefastener the 'upper edge .of the garment will be slightly contracted, and will therefore be drawn `into snug engagement ywith the waist of the wearer. In a corresponding position at the other side there is vprovided, a Vcut 20, also cut in a slight `V-forrn, Yand secured .in parallel butted yrelation by a stitched binding tape 2I at the outer side anda stitched binding tape 22 at the inner side.

The upper edge of .the garment is `provided at its inner side with an elastic binding tape 23, secured by zig-zag stretchable stitching 24, and the lower edgefis similarly provided at the inner side with an elastic binding tape 25, secured by zig-zag stretchable stitching 26.

Garters 21 are provided at suitable points along the lower edge.

As shown clearly in Fig. 4 the Wide elastic bias bands I3a extend parallel to the line or plane A-B drawn between the high points of the abdomen and the buttocks, so that as these high points, indicated by the dot-and-dash lines C and D before engagement by the garment, are compressed and reduced the lines of the pulling forces are in opposite directions along the same lines, and consequently there is set up a compensatingly balanced relationship between these parts of the body whereby the compressive strains on one part provide the force or power to exert the force or power to exert compressive strains on the other part, and without producing injurious and excessive strains on other parts of the body. At the same time the relatively more yieldable band portions I3b and |3c allow for the displaceable expansion resulting from the reducing compression of the abdomen and buttocks in a gradual and gentle manner and without excessive restraining pressures, so that the molded body lines are free from unsightly bulges and the garment will be entirely comfortable and hygienic under all conditions of use and in different postures of the wearer, as standing, bending, sitting and lying down.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and `satisfactory embodiment of the invention but it will be understood that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as dened in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a body molding garment, a body encircling band, adapted for engagement about the abdomen and the diagonally downwardly olfset buttocks of the wearer, comprising a woven one-way stretch elastic band part at each side having longitudinal elasticity, the upper and lower longitudinal edges of each of said band parts vbeing parallel to each other and to the direction of one-way stretch, and the front and rear edges being bias to the longitudinal direction of stretch, the front edge forming an acute angle with the upper edge and the `rear edge forming an obtuse angle with the upper edge, said band parts at each side being connected together yat their front and rear edges, `which front and rear edges are adapted in the use 0f the garment to directly overlie the abdomen'and buttocks and lwhereby there is a direct diagonal pull parallel to said .direction of Yone-way stretch through said band parts between the high points of the abdomen and buttocks, vthe upper and lower longitudinally -elastic edges of the band, respectively, vadapted `to exert pull in a diagonal direction upwardly from the rear to the front between the `horizontally opposed rear waist'portion of the body and the abdomen, and in a dagonaldirection downwardly from the frontto the rear between thehorizontally opposed front groin portion of vthe 'body and the buttocks.

.2.,In a body molding garment, la body encircling iband, adapted for engagement about the abdomen, and the diagonally downwardly offset buttocksof thewearer, comprising a woven one-way stretch :elastic band `part at each side having .longitudinal elasticity, 'each including a one-way :stretch medial band portion, the upper and lower longitudinal `edges of Iwhich are parallel :to eachotherand .to the direction-of oneway stretch, and upper and lower` marginal band portions parallel to and having stretch parallel to the direction of one-Way stretch of said medial band portion, and the front and rear edges of each of said band parts being bias to the longitudinal direction of stretch, the front edge forming an acute angle with the upper edge and the rear edge forming an obtuse angle with the upper edge, said band parts at each side being connected together at their front and rear edges, which front and rear edges are adapted in the use of the garment to directly overlie the abdomen and buttocks and whereby there isa direct diagonal pull parallel to said direction of one-way stretch through said band parts between the high points of the abdomen and buttocks, the upper and lower longitudinally elastic marginal band portions of the band, respectively, adapted to exert pull in a diagonal direction upwardly from the rear to the front be tween the horizontally opposed rear waist por tion of the body and the abdomen, and in a 10 diagonal direction downwardly from the front to the rear between the horizontally opposed front groin portion of the body and the buttocks.

HALLIE LEE JASPER. 

